Bill Text: HI HB1436 | 2025 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii House Bill 1436

Introduced

Bill Title: Relating To The Aloha Spirit, Civics, And Democracy.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-27 - Referred to CAA/EDN, LMG, FIN, referral sheet 4 [HB1436 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2025-HB1436-Introduced.html

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1436
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to the aloha spirit, civics, and democracy.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that American democracy and its political and social institutions have long served as models for democratic governance in the free world. In 2024, United States voters favored decisive autocratic leadership slightly more than democratic governance by consensus, among other things. On the federal level and in thirty-seven states, full partisan control of legislative chambers and governorships enable passage of legislation without the need for compromise or consensus.

The legislature further finds that Hawaii residents overwhelming support the "Aloha Spirit" and its values, as recognized under state law. Hawaii's preference for values-based governance and civic life offers a balanced approach to complement some national leaders' "America First" philosophy. The legislature believes that Hawaii has an opportunity to contribute to humankind by sharing the "Aloha Spirit" with America and the world, as contemplated when the law was adopted in 1986.

The legislature also finds that political polarization in America has intensified, deepening the discord between progressive and conservative social norms and widening the gap of mutual understanding. The legislature believes that Hawaii can offer a divided America a way to understand mutuality through examples of living the Aloha Spirit: with personal responsibility, mutual caring, and respect for our common existence. As the State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, stories from Hawaii will be told of reorganizing rule-based institutions to align with the caring values of Aloha.

While economic and political systems may take decades to truly value human capital and worth, many Hawaii residents and Native Hawaiians are already living individual and collective lives with the Aloha Spirit. The legislature believes the State should assist this values movement by providing educational resources to foster a civic ethos and social conditions to sustain the Aloha Spirit. The State should also build community consensus for a preferred Hawaii future in the global economy, such as becoming a values-based economic community and global enterprise.

The legislature also finds that the rule of law can limit harmful behavior, punish misdeeds, and deter unethical conduct, but that laws alone cannot sustain democracy nor lead to collaboration or creative problem-solving. Instead, the civic values and norms of a community guide its leaders and form the foundation of a functioning democracy. The legislature believes that a civics program based on the values of Aloha is necessary to sustain a healthy democracy in Hawaii, especially in these times of polarization and strife.

The legislature believes that Aloha has, and continues to be, the guiding principle in Hawaiian culture. Aloha connects the people who live in the Hawaiian islands, and may serve as an aspiration for people new to the State. Aloha is central to civic life in Hawaii, where mutual caring is a tradition, and what sustains our democracy. The legislature believes that democracy is a collective expression of Aloha and the way the people of Hawaii share lives together.

To bring the Aloha Spirit into everyday life in the State, the legislature believes that an independent, community-based civics collaborative should facilitate a state civics program and coordinate its educational, engagement, and other components. The collaborative should be composed of a cross sector of civic organizations and leaders, including the PACE (promote and advance civic education) Commission. Support for the collaborative can come from legislative appropriations, internal budgets of participating groups and agencies, and from private sector grants.

The legislature believes that a state civics program should provide Hawaii residents with civic competencies useful in employment, volunteer, and civic programs. People who learn and practice advanced civics skills should have, among participating organizations, preferred status in hiring public-facing employees, community grantmaking programs, and procurement of civic services. The civics program should also include workshops on government processes, monitoring of boards and commissions by volunteers, media literacy and storytelling programs, training for civic leadership, community improvement projects, and neighborhood support for vulnerable persons.

The legislature further finds that two full-time department of education civic education specialists and additional funds for the legislature's public access room would enable enhanced coordination of civics programs, including student government leadership classes; student and youth programs, conferences, and activities; democracy schools and kindness curricula; school newspapers and student journalists; and volunteers for field trips and community projects. The legislature also believes that nonprofit organizations should, where practicable, provide civics education funded by legislative and philanthropic grants.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to:

(1) Establish the Hawaii civics collaborative, administratively attached to the department of accounting and general services, supported by government and private grants and personnel from participating agencies and organizations, chaired by a joint appointee of the presiding officers of the legislature, and composed of a cross sector of civic organizations and leaders, including the PACE Commission and members selected by leaders of state government, the university of Hawaii, department of education, and office of Hawaiian affairs;

(2) Authorize the Hawaii civics collaborative to coordinate a state civics program that includes educational courses, workshops, and other learning opportunities to educate residents on the purpose, history, processes, and public engagement practices of democracy, and workshops on government processes, monitoring of boards and commissions by volunteers, media literacy and storytelling programs, training for civic leadership, community improvement projects, and neighborhood support for vulnerable persons;

(3) Certify the completion of civics courses that may be used for employment, volunteer, and civic project purposes and provide special civics designations for graduates of advanced civics programs who receive from participating organizations preference in hiring, grant applications, and procurement of services;

(4) Appropriate funds to establish two full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) civic education specialists to support the civic education program in the department of education and to enable enhanced civics programming by the legislature's public access room;

(5) Authorize the civics collaborative to coordinate student and youth civic programs, including student government leadership classes; student and youth programs, conferences, and activities; democracy schools and kindness curricula; school newspapers and student journalists; and volunteers for field trips and community projects; and

(6) Coordinate with nonprofit organizations that provide civics education to participate in the state civics program, cross-sector civic collaboratives, joint internship fellowship and leader training programs, and the university of Hawaii Matsunaga institute of peace and the United Nations global citizen education program.

SECTION 2. Chapter 27, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding two new sections to part I to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§27- Hawaii civics collaborative. (a) There is established the Hawaii civics collaborative, which shall be organized as a private nonprofit organization and registered in the State. The Hawaii civics collaborative shall be attached to the department of accounting and general services for administrative purposes only.

(b) The collaborative shall be composed of the following members:

(1) Members of the PACE Commission;

(2) One appointee by each of the following:

(A) Governor;

(B) Lieutenant governor;

(D) President of the senate;

(E) Speaker of the house of representatives;

(F) Superintendent of education;

(G) President of the university of Hawaii; and

(H) Chairperson of the office of Hawaiian Affairs board of trustees;

(3) Other members invited by the Hawaii civics collaborative; and

(4) The chairperson of the collaborative shall be appointed jointly by the president of the senate and speaker of the house of representatives.

(1) Coordinate the state civics program to include educational courses, workshops, and other learning opportunities to educate residents on the purpose, history, processes, and public engagement practices of democracy;

(2) Conduct workshops on government processes, monitoring of boards and commissions by volunteers, media literacy and storytelling programs, training for civic leadership, community improvement projects, and neighborhood support for vulnerable persons;

(3) Certify the completion of civics courses that may be used for employment, volunteer, and civic project purposes, including special civics designations for advanced civics programs that receive preference in hiring, grant applications, and procurement of services from participating organizations;

(4) Coordinate participation in the civics program of diverse organizations, including the department of education, public access room, university of Hawaii Matsunaga institute for peace; leadership programs such as fellowships and internships; other grantmaking organizations, nonprofit groups, and socially responsible corporations; United Nations global citizen education program; and other interested organizations; and

(5) Coordinate student and youth civic programs, including student government leadership classes; student and youth programs, conferences, and activities; democracy schools and kindness curricula; school newspapers and student journalists; and volunteers for field trips and community projects.

§27- State civics program. (a) There is established a state civics program that shall include educational courses, workshops, and other learning opportunities. The program shall have course objectives, including:

(1) Understanding the purpose of democracy;

(2) Studying the history of democracy and its context;

(3) Learning the processes in democratic decision-making;

(4) Enhancing media literacy; and

(5) Facilitating engagement in civic and policy-making activities.

Participants may also be invited to live and practice the "Aloha Spirit" in their daily lives, organizations, civic projects, and by sharing their experience of "Aloha".

(b) The state civics program shall include the following initiatives:

(1) Educational courses, workshops, and other learning opportunities to educate residents on the purpose, history, processes, and public engagement practices of democracy;

(2) Workshops on government processes, monitoring of boards and commissions by volunteers, media literacy and storytelling programs, training for civic leadership, community improvement projects, and neighborhood support for vulnerable persons;

(3) Civics courses for employment, volunteer, and civic project purposes, and special civics designations for advanced civics programs for preference in hiring, grant applications, and procurement of services from participating organizations;

(4) Participation of the department of education, public access room, university of Hawaii Matsunaga institute for peace; leadership programs such as fellowships and internships; nonprofit organizations and socially responsible corporations; and the United Nations global citizen education program; and

(5) Student and youth civic programs, student government leadership classes, and student and youth programs, conferences, and activities; democracy schools and kindness curricula; school newspapers and student journalists; and volunteers for field trips and community projects.

SECTION 3. Section 27-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§27-1 Functions of statewide concern. The purpose of the chapter is to fix responsibility for certain functions, which are of statewide concern, in the state government. These functions which are declared to be state functions are as follows:

(1) Planning, construction, improvement and maintenance of public school facilities and grounds and the transportation of school children; provided that nothing in this paragraph shall preclude the several counties from expending their own funds to supplement state funds;

(2) Burial of indigents;

(3) Planning, construction, improvement, maintenance, and operation of public hospitals and other public health and medical facilities;

(4) Rendering of medical treatment and hospitalization services to state and county pensioners;

(5) Administration and operation of district courts; [~~and~~]

(6) Providing information and services to the public through joint cooperation with the several counties[.]; and

(7) Coordinating a civics program that is guided by the Aloha Spirit; educates and instills the values of Aloha throughout the State; and promotes civic values, norms, and practices in the activities of government, institutions, and life of the community.

For the purposes of this paragraph, "Aloha Spirit" has the same meaning as defined in section 5‑7.5."

SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $250,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the establishment of two full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) civic education specialist positions to support civics education within the department of education.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $50,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for a civics program to be conducted by the public access room.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the legislative reference bureau for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 6. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 7. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

DAGS; DOE; UH; LRB; PAR; Hawaii Civics Collaborative; Aloha Spirit; Civics Education; Democracy; Positions; Appropriations

Description:

Establishes the Hawaii Civics Collaborative within the Department of Accounting and General Services to promote civics engagement and perpetuate the Aloha Spirit. Requires the Department of Education, University of Hawaii Matsunaga Institute for Peace, Public Access Room, and other community organizations to facilitate civic engagement education statewide. Establishes two full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) civic education specialist positions within the Department of Education. Appropriates funds.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.